Shinji Kagawa

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http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/s...wear-seven-shirt-at-manchester-united?cc=5739

Manchester United's new Japanese midfield signing Shinji Kagawa has talked of his excitement at joining the Red Devils, confirming that he turned down the chance to wear the club's famous number seven shirt.

Kagawa, 23, flew into Manchester on Friday to complete a medical and sign terms on four-year deal at the club, but wants to make his name at Old Trafford before possibly stepping into the iconic shirt worn by the likes of George Best, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.

"I've just joined the team and haven't accomplished anything yet," Kagawa told journalists in Japan after his 12-hour return flight. "I want to make a name for myself [at United] on my own terms."

Kagawa added that he had asked for a number "with personal meaning", leading to speculation in the Japanese media that the player could wear the 8, 26, or 29 as he did at Cerezo Osaka, or the 23 shirt he donned at Dortmund.

"The contract was as long as I'd expected from a club [like United]," Kagawa added. "When I was at [Old Trafford], I thought about how incredible it would be if I could score there."

Kagawa follows countrymen Junichi Inamoto, Kazuyuki Toda, Hidetoshi Nakata and Ryo Miyaichi into the Premier League, following two seasons in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund, where he scored 21 times in 49 league matches.
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Interesting move from him....sell the cnut.

Just kidding, nice that he wants to make a name for himself in a different way.
 
iSparky said:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/s...wear-seven-shirt-at-manchester-united?cc=5739



Interesting move from him....sell the cnut.

Just kidding, nice that he wants to make a name for himself in a different way.
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That is nice. I'm guessing he'll probably be wearing the 26 shirt.

RyanGoggs said:
That shows he must be very highly rated at OT to be offered such a famous number. If we had signed Hazard as well as Kagawa I wonder if we still would have offered Kagawa the number 7....

Personally id love to see nani given it anyway
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I love Nani but I think he's happy with the 17 shirt (wears it for his national team too) and it'd just increase the comparisons to Ronaldo, plus at this moment in time we still don't know whether he'll be here next season or not.
 
his attitude is fantastic...especially when compared to hazard whorish antics in the last months
 
moses said:
I hope he offers us a bit more than the last player they rated highly enough to offer it to.
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I suppose Owen sort of proved himself over time. The other players who have worn the number 7 shirt have had something to prove, Beckham and Best were making their way in football, Ronaldo was merely a precociously talented youngster and Cantona was seen as a bit of a problem footballer.

Similarly Kagawa is relatively young and has a fair amount to prove. Yes I know he has been fantastic at Dortmund but its a big step up in terms of expectation and level of quality. All the players I have mentioned have been or are world class at some stage of their careers imo. The number 7 shirt isn't offered around to just anybody
 
So excited by his arrival. He'll be the dog's bollocks here in my opinion. The guy was putting chance after chance on a plate for Lewandowski when he was at Dortmund.
 
Tomuś said:
So excited by his arrival. He'll be the dog's bollocks here in my opinion. The guy was putting chance after chance on a plate for Lewandowski when he was at Dortmund.
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I am the same, he spots a through ball very quickly. he could make Hernandez devastating to be honest as I feel half the time Chicho is offside as the pass has been played slightly to late. But like I said earlier, IF he gells with the other attacking minded players we have, I reckon we are back to sexy football again.
 
RyanGoggs said:
I suppose Owen sort of proved himself over time. The other players who have worn the number 7 shirt have had something to prove, Beckham and Best were making their way in football, Ronaldo was merely a precociously talented youngster and Cantona was seen as a bit of a problem footballer.

Similarly Kagawa is relatively young and has a fair amount to prove. Yes I know he has been fantastic at Dortmund but its a big step up in terms of expectation and level of quality. All the players I have mentioned have been or are world class at some stage of their careers imo. The number 7 shirt isn't offered around to just anybody
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Did he? Who was the worst 7 we had throughout Saf reign with us?

Owen spent much of his career with us either on the bench or in the treatment room. I hardly see that as proving yourself
 
Sewelly The Geordie said:
Show he's not a little prick like Mickey O.
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Oh comeon none of our 7s had ever done a brochure. He deserved it for being innovative.

On a serious note at united the no 7 shirt means alot. I think that Saf knew that none of the present side could handle it and considering our reluctance in spending big money on a big name who could do that he searched for a prima donna with illusions of grandeur who could wear the shirt while rotting on the bench. Owen fit the role perfectly
 
Nah, what Shinji actually wants is us to spunk on another big money transfer who would then be given the number 7 shirt :drool:
 
Refreshing attitude. Interesting though that if he was offered the 7 shirt it would appear we have no-one else in mind for it.
 
Tomuś said:
So excited by his arrival. He'll be the dog's bollocks here in my opinion. The guy was putting chance after chance on a plate for Lewandowski when he was at Dortmund.
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While its true, he wasnt the only one or the main one. Kuba Blaszczykowski was the main chance provider and assister for Dortmund last season and Goetze was a little more creative when he played, albeit for a much shorter time last season thanks to injury.

Kagawa will create plenty for us, his 8 assists and 1.8 key passes last season, if he can translate that right over to the premier league, would have been joint 3rd best for us behind Valencia and Nani. And in fact its exactly the same as Giggs (whilst obviously scoring more and playing better)

But its important we also note the contributions of other good players at Dortmund because they have a lot of them and some of them created as much or more than Kagawa. So its not like we're signing the player that did it all for them last season when it comes to creating. When you add his goals on top, thats when you really get the picture of Kagawa being a huge player for them. Something else to consider is that he averaged 2 dribbles a game and while that isnt the most at Dortmund either, our most was 1.8 dribbles a game by Nani. So he'd have come top of the pile there.
 
devilish said:
Did he? Who was the worst 7 we had throughout Saf reign with us?

Owen spent much of his career with us either on the bench or in the treatment room. I hardly see that as proving yourself
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I actually meant that he was a proven player before he joined us. It didn't work out for him here but he was a very good player for Liverpool and Real in particular
 
Ekeke said:
While its true, he wasnt the only one or the main one. Kuba Blaszczykowski was the main chance provider and assister for Dortmund last season and Goetze was a little more creative when he played, albeit for a much shorter time last season thanks to injury.

Kagawa will create plenty for us, his 8 assists and 1.8 key passes last season, if he can translate that right over to the premier league, would have been joint 3rd best for us behind Valencia and Nani. And in fact its exactly the same as Giggs (whilst obviously scoring more and playing better)

But its important we also note the contributions of other good players at Dortmund because they have a lot of them and some of them created as much or more than Kagawa. So its not like we're signing the player that did it all for them last season when it comes to creating. When you add his goals on top, thats when you really get the picture of Kagawa being a huge player for them. Something else to consider is that he averaged 2 dribbles a game and while that isnt the most at Dortmund either, our most was 1.8 dribbles a game by Nani. So he'd have come top of the pile there.
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I recommend people watch the highlights for Lewandowski. I noticed something that was pretty funny. Kagawa may be more impressive in last seasons highlights. In most of the goals scored by Lewy, Kagawa may not have had the assist, but he's the one who found the killer pass to the player who would be getting the assist, making it super easy a lot of the time. So he'll get you goals, assists, and he'll create a ton of easy chances for other players to get an assist. His stats don't even do him justice.
 
RyanGoggs said:
I actually meant that he was a proven player before he joined us. It didn't work out for him here but he was a very good player for Liverpool and Real in particular
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Ok my mistake.

However Ronaldo was not a proven player when he took no 7. I think its all a matter of self confidence, experience and talent. Ronaldo may have lacked experience but he had all the arrogance (in a good way) to take such responsibility without allowing it to crush him

Honestly, I think that Kagawa had done well to refuse the no 7 shirt. First of all it showed humility that is nowadays a rare asset in football. Secondly it contributed to lessen the pressure on himself. Mind you, he seems to be a great player and I am proud of such signing. However I think that there is too many hype surrounding him, which may look great in matter of merchandizing/United PR but is not good for the player.
 
devilish said:
Ok my mistake.

However Ronaldo was not a proven player when he took no 7. I think its all a matter of self confidence, experience and talent. Ronaldo may have lacked experience but he had all the arrogance (in a good way) to take such responsibility without allowing it to crush him

Honestly, I think that Kagawa had done well to refuse the no 7 shirt. First of all it showed humility that is nowadays a rare asset in football. Secondly it contributed to lessen the pressure on himself. Mind you, he seems to be a great player and I am proud of such signing. However I think that there is too many hype surrounding him, which may look great in matter of merchandizing/United PR but is not good for the player.
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Ronaldo was raw but we have a history of giving the no. 7 jersey to a player with the "x factor" if you like. Owen was kind of a mistake in my opinion but otherwise our player wearing seven has generally been given to one of the more outstanding players in the team which obviously is how Ferguson sees Kagawa. It's a good sign that he is rated enough to just be offered the prestigious honour of getting such a famous number. It's a good omen
 
RyanGoggs said:
Ronaldo was raw but we have a history of giving the no. 7 jersey to a player with the "x factor" if you like. Owen was kind of a mistake in my opinion but otherwise our player wearing seven has generally been given to one of the more outstanding players in the team which obviously is how Ferguson sees Kagawa. It's a good sign that he is rated enough to just be offered the prestigious honour of getting such a famous number. It's a good omen
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I think that giving the no 7 to Owen was a great idea. By doing so SAF was able to divert the pressure from the likes of Nani (considered as Ronaldo's true heir) and the then new boy Valencia to an experienced player who wouldn't have featured alot in the team.

I can see wisdom behind giving Kagawa the iconic shirt. He's probably our biggest signing this year and whether we like it or not, he will be a merchandizing icon for us in the coming years. However I also share Kagawa's views regarding refusing it. The boy's rise to stardom has been too quick and its only fair for him to refuse added pressure on himself. Not everyone has that believe of being born special as Ronaldo/Cantona do
 
Kid Cunto said:
Also, number seven is now free for Modric.
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ronaldo-laugh-2-cristiano-ronaldo-19817037-200-178.gif
 
Manchester United's new Japanese midfield signing Shinji Kagawa has talked of his excitement at joining the Red Devils, confirming that he turned down the chance to wear the club's famous number seven shirt.

Kagawa, 23, flew into Manchester on Friday to complete a medical and sign terms on four-year deal at the club, but wants to make his name at Old Trafford before possibly stepping into the iconic shirt worn by the likes of George Best, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo.

"I've just joined the team and haven't accomplished anything yet," Kagawa told journalists in Japan after his 12-hour return flight. "I want to make a name for myself [at United] on my own terms."

Kagawa added that he had asked for a number "with personal meaning", leading to speculation in the Japanese media that the player could wear the 8, 26, or 29 as he did at Cerezo Osaka, or the 23 shirt he donned at Dortmund.

"The contract was as long as I'd expected from a club [like United]," Kagawa added. "When I was at [Old Trafford], I thought about how incredible it would be if I could score there."

Kagawa follows countrymen Junichi Inamoto, Kazuyuki Toda, Hidetoshi Nakata and Ryo Miyaichi into the Premier League, following two seasons in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund, where he scored 21 times in 49 league matches.

Isn't Anderson no.8?
 
Anderson is definitely off then. The Kag wants his shirt and that's that.
 
Has appeared in quite a few variety/game show programs in Japan before and after his medical+official signing these days.

On one of these, he was asked what he likes to do in his free time. Said he loves driving and was regularly speeding at 240 km an hour on the German highways (they have no limits there). :nervous:

Take less risks Shinji...
 
Another article on the United official website says a bit more:

Shinji Kagawa is feeling positive about starting life as a Manchester United player after signing his four-year contract at Old Trafford.

The former Borussia Dortmund star passed a medical and visited Carrington during his brief trip to England on Friday and is excited about the prospect of pulling on the red shirt, even though he is unsure which number he will be wearing.

"First, I went to the training facility [Carrington], then signed at Old Trafford," he told reporters at Narita International Aiport.

"Though it was a short stay, it meant a lot. It was a memorable day for me. There were many contracts to sign, which made me realise how big the club is.

"What came to my mind was how exciting and tough a challenge this is, and how scoring goals at this stadium would make me so happy.

"United is a fantastic organisation. For instance, the training facility is very well maintained. It is an environment I had never experienced before.

"I was excited to see the stadium. Having imagined myself playing there as my home stadium, I was impressed.

"Everyone welcomed me warmly and said 'Thank you for signing with us.' I know this is just the beginning but I am glad I have made it to the starting point."

Kagawa was asked if his shirt number was discussed following some talk he would wear the number seven vacated by Michael Owen, but the Japan star appeared to quash those rumours.

"We did [discuss it] but nothing will be confirmed until Sir Alex comes back," Kagawa explained. "Since I am very new to the club, I have no intention to get an important number. Let's wait and see how it goes.

"I just told them my hope because I didn't know which numbers are available.

"Having completed the transfer, I can't think anything negative anymore. I feel positive. I would like to achieve big things with such a big, historical club. I know there’s a tough challenge ahead of me but I am excited to have the chance to take it."

Source: http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-F...inji-kagawa-enjoys-united-visit.aspx?pageNo=1
 
Damien1990 said:
Another article on the United official website says a bit more:

Shinji Kagawa is feeling positive about starting life as a Manchester United player after signing his four-year contract at Old Trafford.

The former Borussia Dortmund star passed a medical and visited Carrington during his brief trip to England on Friday and is excited about the prospect of pulling on the red shirt, even though he is unsure which number he will be wearing.

"First, I went to the training facility [Carrington], then signed at Old Trafford," he told reporters at Narita International Aiport.

"Though it was a short stay, it meant a lot. It was a memorable day for me. There were many contracts to sign, which made me realise how big the club is.

"What came to my mind was how exciting and tough a challenge this is, and how scoring goals at this stadium would make me so happy.

"United is a fantastic organisation. For instance, the training facility is very well maintained. It is an environment I had never experienced before.

"I was excited to see the stadium. Having imagined myself playing there as my home stadium, I was impressed.

"Everyone welcomed me warmly and said 'Thank you for signing with us.' I know this is just the beginning but I am glad I have made it to the starting point."

Kagawa was asked if his shirt number was discussed following some talk he would wear the number seven vacated by Michael Owen, but the Japan star appeared to quash those rumours.

"We did [discuss it] but nothing will be confirmed until Sir Alex comes back," Kagawa explained. "Since I am very new to the club, I have no intention to get an important number. Let's wait and see how it goes.

"I just told them my hope because I didn't know which numbers are available.

"Having completed the transfer, I can't think anything negative anymore. I feel positive. I would like to achieve big things with such a big, historical club. I know there’s a tough challenge ahead of me but I am excited to have the chance to take it."

Source: http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-F...inji-kagawa-enjoys-united-visit.aspx?pageNo=1
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Based on that i take it we didn't offer him directly the number 7 shirt. Would rather hope it went to Nani though if we haven't another signing in mind.
 
He needs to get the Number sorted soon so we can milk the Merchandising with his star power in Japan.
 
Anderson
---7
 
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